Several big airlines have added $10 surcharges for busy days around the holidays. Last month, airlines added $10 surcharges each way for travel Nov. 29 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving) and Jan. 2 and 3. Now, FareCompare.com Chief Executive Rick Seaney notes that those airlines have added 10 more days: Nov. 30; Dec. 19, 26 and 27; March 14, 20, 21 and 28; April 11; and May 28. He said the surcharges were added by Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp., AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, UAL Corp.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines asked federal regulators for a one-year delay in starting service between San Francisco and Guangzhou, China, because of soaring jet fuel prices. Flights to Guangzhou were to have been added June 18.

American Airlines' parent company said today that it is taking on significant new debt at a time when revenues are being hammered, but the $2.9 billion in cash and fresh financing it raised should quiet concerns -- for now -- that it is in danger of a cash crunch and a bankruptcy filing. Passengers will see big changes from the nation's second-largest airline, including increased flying in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami, but fewer flights in St. Louis and North Carolina's Raleigh/Durham, where American is giving up major ground to Southwest Airlines Co. At LAX, American plans two new daily American and Eagle flights.

AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, UAL Corp.'s United Airlines and Delta Air Lines Inc. all increased fuel surcharges by $20 per round trip. It's the 15th attempt by major U.S. carriers to boost fares or surcharges this year, said Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines raised domestic fares by as much as $20 round trip to help cover fuel costs. Flights of 751 miles or more had the biggest round-trip increases, a spokeswoman said. Fares went up $10 round trip on flights of 400 miles or less and on routes that compete with discount carriers.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines will eliminate 1,550 flight attendant jobs as it shrinks operations amid record fuel bills. The cuts cover about 10% of United's attendants and will take effect Oct. 31, the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA said.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines said it boosted its ticket prices by as much as $50 round-trip, raising the stakes in the airline industry's battle against rapidly rising fuel costs. Continental Airlines Inc. matched the increase. At least one other carrier, US Airways Group Inc., said it was studying the move but hadn't yet decided whether it would follow suit, a spokesman said.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines said it was raising U.S. fares as much as $30 to help recoup record fuel costs, prompting two rivals to follow. United increased round-trip fares $4 to $30, depending on the length of the flight and the low-fare competition on the route, spokesman Jeff Kovick said. Continental Airlines Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. followed United's lead, website bestfares.com said.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines raised domestic fares by as much as $20 round trip to help cover fuel costs. Flights of 751 miles or more had the biggest round-trip increases, a spokeswoman said. Fares went up $10 round trip on flights of 400 miles or less and on routes that compete with discount carriers.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines will eliminate 1,550 flight attendant jobs as it shrinks operations amid record fuel bills. The cuts cover about 10% of United's attendants and will take effect Oct. 31, the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA said.

Admit it. That chunky carry-on bag of yours would never fit into the sample box displayed outside the airport gate. Don't expect that bag to get a free ride for long. Checked bags are now a moneymaker for US Airways, American Airlines and United Airlines, and officials say they're going to keep a closer watch on how much you take on board as they begin their new baggage fees. "We're planning on having extra staff where possible, especially at peak times at busy airports," US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant said.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines said Friday that it would again require minimum stays for nearly all domestic coach seats, starting in the fall. It also is raising its cheapest fares as much as $90 one way. The nation's second-largest carrier said the moves were among a number of changes, including flight and job cutbacks, it was making amid record-high fuel prices. The Chicago-based airline has been among the industry's most aggressive in pushing fares and fees higher in recent months, and those efforts have often been matched by other carriers.

A number of major airlines rolled back a weekend fare increase Monday, the first time in more than half a dozen attempts that a widespread price hike failed to take hold across the struggling industry. Carriers declined to say whether the shift signaled concerns about falling customer demand. Still, the decision served as a reminder that passengers -- many reeling from financial worries of their own -- may be nearing a tipping point in terms of how much they will pay to fly. "This could be the first sign that demand is softening," said Graeme Wallace, chief technology officer of airfare research site FareCompare.

The chief executives of UAL Corp.'s United Airlines and US Airways Group Inc. met to work through details of a possible merger as rising fuel prices add to pressure for a tie-up, people familiar with the talks said Thursday. United's Glenn Tilton and US Airways' Doug Parker focused on labor, financing, seating-capacity cuts and other issues that have slowed work on a combination, said the people, who asked not to be named because the meeting was private. The face-to-face session came more than two months after the talks began.

Delta Air Lines Inc. will follow United Airlines in charging $25 for a second checked bag to help recoup surging fuel costs. The fee will start in May, Chief Executive Richard Anderson said. The charge follows similar moves by UAL Corp.'s United Airlines and US Airways Group Inc. last month as airlines grapple with fuel costs that have jumped 68% in the last year.

British Airways said it was considering new ways of cooperating with AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc. U.S. airlines have been scrambling to combine or form new alliances since Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. announced plans to merge this month. Continental said over the weekend that it would not pursue an alliance with another carrier right away, a surprising move after weeks of speculation that it would join with UAL Corp.'s United Airlines to create the world's biggest airline.

US Airways Group Inc. asked federal regulators for a one-year delay in starting new flights to China because of the soaring cost of jet fuel. Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways wants to begin the Philadelphia-Beijing route in 2010, according to a letter. US Airways follows UAL Corp.'s United Airlines in making such a request to the Department of Transportation. The annual fuel cost for the China route has increased 80% to $90 million since US Airways filed its application in July.